Frequency domain representation helps to analyse the complex

signals.

Time domain refers to variation of amplitude of signal with time. The

frequency domain representation of a signal allows us to observe several
characteristics of the signal that are either not easy to see, or not visible at all when
you look at the signal in the time domain. We can find the different frequency
components of a composite signal and the amplitude and power at each frequency
components.

A number of signal processing applications make use of complex signals like:

In Fourier series, Fourier Transform, Laplace Transform etc. Any periodic signals can
be expanded in a sum of complex exponentials i.e. in Fourier series. A Fourier series
is an expansion of a periodic function in terms of an infinite sum of sines and cosines

𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑎0 + ∑ [𝑎𝑛 cos(𝑛𝜔0 𝑡) + 𝑏𝑛 sin(𝑛𝜔0 𝑡)]

𝑛=1

For functions that are not periodic, the Fourier series is replaced by the Fourier
Transform. Complex signal contains most number of frequency components having
different amplitudes. Signal contains the real part and imaginary part.

We get amplitude response and phase response of a signal by analysing in frequency

domain. This complex signal of many frequency components is analysed by signal
processing where the signal splits into different simple signals of single frequency
each.